


Untitled

by jpez



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 22:31:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14963426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jpez/pseuds/jpez
Summary: cheryl & toni meet at a party and share a "moment"after almost half a year later, fate brings them back togetherbut will the challenges in their lives bring them closer or drive them farther apart?(so much angst, not even sorry)tw: jingle jangle abuse





	Untitled

_5 months ago._

 

“A Southside Serpent? How… rebellious of you.” The ginger haired girl whispered, pulling Toni closer to her, her cherry-red lips just inches from her own. Toni could smell the sugary liquor on her breath. Her warm eyes stared into her own and she could feel her heart begin to beat faster.

It was Halloween night. Veronica, in true Lodge fashion, had decided to throw a glorious extravaganza, filled with the best and worst people of Riverdale. Orange and black balloons littered the living room, golden glitter all over the floor. Banners wishing the guests ‘Happy Halloween – From the Lodges’ hung up everywhere. Toni knew how she felt about the Lodges, the Northside. They were prissy, stuck up, no good, evil, pure evil, and most of this was just based on Hiram alone. The mob boss had thrown the Serpents under the water one too many times. But Jughead had invited her, and… here she was. Her arms wrapped around a pretty girl.

“You like the costume?” Toni asked back, her voice slurring from the effects of alcohol. She doesn’t have the brain capacity to explain that she came without a costume. As a way to fight against the consumerist standards of society? Maybe… or perhaps she was just too lazy to get her own costume.

“I _looooooove_ the costume, sugar.” The words seemed to roll off of her tongue. They melted around Toni and she swore she could listen to the other girl talk for hours on end. The ginger gripped her hand, dragging her out of the living room and into one of the many hallways. She backed against a wall, bringing Toni closer to her. She brought her hand up to the Serpent’s face, trailing her stiletto nails across her cheek. It made the hairs on Toni’s back stand up but she couldn’t move. It was like this girl was some siren and Toni was a pirate lost at sea.

In this light, the other girl’s costume could truly be seen. It was tight. Black latex hugged her frame with knee-high boots with heels 6 inches. A set of black ears was atop of her head, with crystals outlining the frame. A black mask covered her face, her eyes even more bright contrasting with the dark. It was clear what she was. Although, Toni had seen the film long ago, when she was just a child, with her parents. They hadn’t liked it much and she now knew the criticism it faced, but she could always remember the feeling in her heart whenever she laid eyes on the lead actress. The feeling was the same when she looked at this girl.

“Admiring my figure?” she asked. Toni nodded.

The girl pulled her closer, grabbing her waist and wrapping her hands underneath the Serpent’s jacket. Her red hair shone under the retro light, lighting up with such heat Toni thought that it make actually catch fire. She truly was a flame in the dark and her dazzling eyes were even more dangerous.

The ginger came close to Toni. She grabbed her face and put her lips close to the Serpent’s ear. Toni swallowed deeply, trying to calm the nervous energy that kept arising. Thankfully, alcohol seemed to do the job just right.

“I don’t usually do this with girls,” she whispered ever so slightly in that sultry, sultry voice. It made Toni blush and she hated the feeling of warmth on her cheeks. No one made her blush. No one.

The ginger pulled back, staring into Toni’s eyes for a moment before pulling the collar of her jacket. They both closed their eyes, sinking into each other.

Her lips were warm. She tasted like cherries.

Toni ran a hand through her hair, placed a hand on her waist as she pushed her up against the wall. The girl whined a little under the force, but kept pushing back, equally as hard. After a while, they parted, both seeming like they had forgotten to breathe throughout the encounter. The ginger girl smiled, her eyes lusting towards her.

At that point, Toni began to feel her heart rate increase but not the "I-just-kissed-a-pretty-girl” heart rate increase… it was something else. She’d had something other than alcohol that night. Something to take the edge off. She’d almost forgotten, but she would never forget the addictive effects of jingle jangle. “Little Straws of Death” Jughead had called them, “A total gutter drug”. His words had stung but it was too late for them to affect her now. The little straw was all she needed. Placing her lips on the striped joint and licking the powdering white substance up. That drug was all she needed. And she was certainly feeling it now.

She laughed nervously, twirling the girl’s hair with her fingers.

“Can I take a photo of you?” she exclaimed before she could stop herself.

“What?” The other girl seemed taken aback, but not totally repulsed, which was a good sign… At least Toni thought it was.

“I…. I... uh… I’m a photographer,” she said, gesturing to the camera around her neck. “And when I see something pretty I just… I gotta have it.”

The girl pondered the thought a little, before giving her the most yearning look Toni had seen. Her eyes just craved something. They were hungry for… something. Toni couldn’t think about that right now though. She almost forgot why the ginger was actually throwing her that look. The hum of the music played in the background. She could hear people yelling and people singing, but her attention was elsewhere.

She pulled her camera up to her face, taking a few steps back. She spent at least a few seconds lining up the shot, making sure every ounce of the beauty could be seen in the camera. A flash. And then it was done.

The girl was back to smiling, leaning against the wall with her hand playfully on her chest. Toni stepped towards her, moving their bodies together. Their lips almost touched again, but not quite.

In the ginger’s hand, her phone lit up. The usual iPhone tune rang out in the hallway, the sound like poison to Toni’s ears.

The girl brought it to her face.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

And then her face went blank.

Toni couldn’t read her. There was just nothing there. No emotion whatsoever. The warmth from her eyes had completely disappeared and her playful smile was nowhere to be seen.

After a few moments, the girl simply said, “I have to go.”

She nudged her way out of Toni’s grip and started walking towards the front door. She was like a robot. Metallic. Monotone. Melancholy.

“Wait, what’s wrong?” Toni asked, trailing after her. She was concerned but the jingle jangle kept her feeling happy. After the girl left, she would hardly remember anything about her.

The ginger got to the front door, opening it with such force that Toni thought she might break the small window embedded in it. She just walked off, in those six-inch heels, like the past half an hour didn’t happen.

Toni thought about walking after her.

She thought about it.

And, in after thought, she should have done it.

But she couldn’t change it now, however much she wished it.

She was dragged back inside by Jughead Jones. He complained that she was missing the party that he ever-growingly did not want to be at. She wanted to complain that she felt she had lost a part of her in those walking six-inch heels. The vision of the ginger walking off would be forever encompassed in her memory.

The next morning Toni would suffer a wicked hangover, with the image of the most gorgeous girl she had seen. Little did she know, Cheryl would be lost to her for five months more.

 

_Present Day_

It was a bad day. A bad, bad day and Toni was, yet again, sick of life. Blood trailed down chin, the split in her lip casting woes of pain up her jaw. She was backed against the brick wall of Pop’s. Not the usual place she would hang out, but the Northsider she was delivering jingle jangle to didn’t like to delve too far into the Serpent’s lair. He was some prissy, academic guy. Dark hair, dark eyes. With expensive clothes. Toni didn’t even know his name but she already hated him.

And he definitely underestimated her.

As he threw another punch, Toni ducked, grabbed his arm and twisted it so that his hand was placed on his back. She shoved him against the wall. The groan of pain he let out was reward enough. He had damaged her face. No one could damage her face.

“Fuck off, you stupid Serpent slut!” he whimpered. His words were fierce but he was the one backed up against the wall, wasn’t he?

“Say that again, I dare you,” Toni told him as she pressed down on one of his fingers, twisting it in ways it really shouldn’t.

Then there was a crack.

The guy screamed in pain, muttering all sorts of curses, some Toni hadn’t even heard of.

“You broke my fucking finger!” he yelled. He pushed back against her with all his force – something Toni hadn’t been expecting. She fell to the ground, trying to get back up as quick as she could, but he kicked her in the ribs.

He kicked again and again. Each time Toni’s breath being knocked out of her.

He stood above her, cradling his hand. His eyes were full of so much hatred. _You stupid Serpent slut_! _Stupid_! _Serpent_! _Slut_!

And at that moment, Toni did feel stupid. She was in a world of pain, getting the life beaten out of her. He threw his foot into the side of her head and the world around her quieted. Her head rolled, and she felt her eyes closing. Everything was silent. She was ready for it. She was waiting. Maybe this stupid Northsider would bring out a gun. Quick and easy. Or maybe, he would have a knife and stab her so many times until there were holes all over her body.

But the kicks stopped coming.

She opened her eyes a sliver. She expected to see a golden angel standing over her, leading to the way to Heaven – or Hell. Instead she saw prissy, academic guy racing away, scared by the something in front of him, looking like a deer in headlights, and oh he was. Toni rolled over, feeling completely numb. It was Sweet Pea and Jughead to the rescue. Their expressions were concerned as they raced towards her. They looked like brothers almost; the same dark hair, the same pasty complexion. Their eyebrows were furrowed in the exact same way. Toni didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before, but perhaps lying on the ground, having been only moments away from potential death spurred some weird thoughts.

Sweet Pea bent down, picking her up in his arms. Jughead tried to talk to her but she couldn’t make out the words. She just smiled, grateful to have her friends by her side.

“My heroes,” she sang, burying herself into Sweet Pea’s shirt. He smelt like home. Like sandalwood. The rustic, warm scent of home. He was home. Jughead was home. The Serpents were her home, her family.

If only her parents could see her now.

The ride back to the caravan park was tiring. At points, she’d almost slipped off of Sweet Pea’s motorcycle. All she wanted to do was get home and collapse.

It had been a shitty day.

A goddamn, shitty day.

She didn’t even manage to sell that drug the Northsiders crave so much. No, the prick had demanded she sell it to him for half price. Didn’t he know that then she wouldn’t be able to have breakfast for a week? No, he wouldn’t know.

Those Northsiders. So stuck up and firm. They knew nothing of the troubles that followed children around in this side of town. They stuck to their backs like the hair on their heads. Yet, they still hated the South. Didn’t they know that poison grows in more than one place? So much of Riverdale was toxic.

Toni wanted nothing more than to escape from this place.

But she was trapped.

Or, she felt trapped.

Truly, she didn’t know. All she felt was the pain in her chest.

A constant reminder of the Northside.

Toni fell asleep in Sweet Pea’s arms that night. She dreamt that she could take all the Serpents away from Riverdale. She dreamt that they all journeyed into the woods, walking until there were no people around. It was like Lord of the Flies – without all of the murder. They all got along. They all loved each other. They built fires. They explored caves. They went swimming every day, splashing each other playfully. Sweet Pea would look happier than ever. Jughead, even when swimming, still wore his stupid hat. Toni would be without troubles. She’d leave them all in Riverdale, where they belonged. But, unfortunately, dreams were dreams.

In the middle of the night, she woke up feeling sick. She lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. With every rise and fall of her chest, a bout of pain rocketed her body. Everything was quiet at this hour of the night. There was no wind in the trees, no dogs barking. It was just her and her thoughts. She hated it.

And then…

She saw something glitter in her peripheral.

Her jacket hung on Sweet Pea’s chair.

And a certain striped straw peeked out of its pocket.

 _Jingle jangle_.

Her hand was already grasping it before she could think another thought.

It’s just what she craved.

 

* * *

 

 

Cheryl Blossom never knew what she wanted in life. But she knew it certainly wasn’t this. Her mother, Penelope, was throwing everything and anything she could get from the kitchen. Expensive dishes, the good china, all smashed to smithereens in front of Cheryl’s eyes. Shards of white and blue flew past her eyes.

Her mother screamed insane, intolerable things as she tossed plate after plate. Cheryl was ducking behind a chair, trying to escape her mother’s wrath. It was a cold night. She didn’t even know what she’d done wrong to anger Penelope. Perhaps she didn’t pack the dishwasher just right, or missed a spot on the floor when mopping. Everything seemed to anger her these days.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Penelope threw something even more drastic. A knife and thank God, it missed. But it managed to nick her arm. The silver dagger flew threw the air, and as Cheryl ducked, it slashed through her bicep. She bit her lip, attempting to keep her from crying out.

Immediately, she pressed her hand to the spot as the blood started trickling down on her pale skin. Tears started to form in her eyes, her face becoming wet. Her lower lip trembled as she looked to the monster standing over her.

Penelope stood, her eyes furious. Her hair was out of place – unusual for her mother. She had worked up a sweat, beads forming around her temple. Her skin was stretched tight, as if it was pulled over a mannequin. Cheryl thought her life might end there and then. She needed to get out of the house but she was too scared to move. Her heart pounded in her chest.

“You are a disgrace,” she told her sternly, grabbing her face harshly. Cheryl’s eyes watered even more. “No one is ever going to love you. No one.”

She let go of Cheryl’s face, giving it a shove for good measure. Then she poured herself a glass of wine. The chipped glass was the only reminder of her past actions. The dark red substance oozed into it and Cheryl couldn’t help but stare in shock as her mother walked past her to the living room. She sat by the fireplace, swirling the glass of wine in her hand.

“I expect all of this to be cleaned by tomorrow morning. Don’t disappoint me.” Her voice was just as stern as before. Cheryl had a monster she couldn’t control. She tried so hard to hide it but it was impossible when it lived in her own home. It whispered lies and slander in her ears. Her hair was red, like the devil; her fingers bony, nails coloured like wine.

Then it returned to its lair. Watching the fire sizzle as the ones who faced its wrath were tortured beyond repair.

Cheryl sat there for a bit. Just sobbing at what her life had come to.

She’d lost Jason.

She’d lost her father.

She’d lost everyone she ever cared about.

And her mother was right; no one was ever going to love her. She didn’t think anyone even loved her now. Penelope sure didn’t. Her friends at Riverdale… Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead… though they’d saved her on more than one occasion, they didn’t like her; Cheryl was sure of it. They didn’t care for her. They didn’t come charging in, whisking her away from her mother. They were in her life… but not _in_ her life.

All of a sudden, Cheryl grabbed her arm, pressing hard on it as such raced upstairs. The stairs were cold on her feet. Her mother had refused to install heaters in the top half of the house. Cheryl had to sleep with four blankets on and she still shivered. But she wasn’t sleeping here tonight. She had a plan.

As she reached her room, she brought out her most practical, stylish backpack, filling it with clothes and accessories. Cheryl shrugged on her warmest parka, with white fur lining the hood of it. She hoped it would be warm enough.

She packed a toothbrush, toothpaste, knee high boots, and something she always kept in her top draw. The silver dagger was a gift from Jason. It was embedded with his handwriting.

“ _I love you always, Cheryl~_ ”.

He’d given it to her when she turned 16. When things had gotten real bad. She hugged the blade to her chest, a tear falling from her lashes. She missed him so much. He’d always protected her but now… no one could protect her, not even herself.

Cheryl shoved the blade into her pocket.

She put the backpack on and tied the knee-high boots all the way up.

She took a deep, shaking breath.

…Then she began to walk down those long stairs.

As she past the living room, she spied her mother lazily sipping her glass of wine, staring into the fire. Cheryl felt so much hatred boil up inside her. She hated her. She _hated_ Penelope. But she was scared of her too and she didn’t want to be trapped in this house forever. She’d garnered funds to leave, though she was scared her retched mother would send someone to track her down. Nevertheless, even one night alone would be worth it. One night away from her monster.

Cheryl tiptoed to the front door, trying to remain as quiet as a mouse. As she opened it, the hinges squeaked. The wind blew the door wide open and she was left staring out into the dead of night.

“Cheryl?” She heard her mother’s voice call out. It was frailer now. After a couple glasses of wine, it did that to her; turned her into the old hag she really was.

“I’m leaving, mother,” Cheryl replied, trying to keep her voice from wavering. She couldn’t bare look at the living room. She imagined the fury on Penelope’s face and that was enough to make the hairs on her neck stand up.

As the wind blew in her face, the cold night air blowing in and around her hair, she heard footsteps from the lounge. She could hear them pause right behind her but didn’t dare turn her back.

“So you’re leaving.” There was a pause before she simply stated: “Good riddance.”

Cheryl turned around. Her mother stood with her arms folded, the glass of wine still lazily held by her left hand. Her eyes pierced through her. The disappointment in them… Cheryl just wanted to crawl back into bed and cry, but she had to be strong. If she didn’t get out now then she never would. A gleam of joy shone in Penelope’s eyes. She only saw it for a second before it was gone but she knew that her mother felt some happiness now that she was finally going. The old bitch could be left alone to rot.

She walked through the doorway, a sense of relief washing over her as soon as she was out in the cold.

“Just don’t you dare come back.” It was a threat. Cheryl knew that. She didn’t need the next sentence to give her that impression, but her mother gave it to her anyway.

“Or you’ll join Jason.”

The door slammed shut.

Cheryl Blossom made her way to the only place she felt safe.

Pop’s.

She was always taken care of there.

She stepped into the establishment, the neon light hitting her face, almost keeping the darkness at bay. She heard the familiar laughs of her friends sitting at a booth in the corner. They all had such cheery smiles on them. Veronica was draped over Archie, her eyes full of love for her boyfriend. Betty wasn’t as touchy, but under the table Cheryl could see her holding hands with Jughead. Sure, they argued at times and went days without talking, but in this moment their true selves shone through. They were the cheery teens of Riverdale with no issues other than school and joining the football team. They were a family.

And their little sanctuary had no room for her.

She pulled her hood up and journeyed to the other side of Pop’s without another thought. She ordered a cherry milkshake (of course), but when she went to pay, her card was declined.

“Don’t worry Cheryl, it’s on the house,” Pop told her, cheerfully smiling as he walked away. Cheryl felt her heart sink. She didn’t expect her mother to freeze her account. All she had was the two dollars in her wallet. She didn’t have a place to stay, somewhere to shower, somewhere to sleep. The panic began to set in as she stormed out of the establishment, making sure to hide her face from the gang.

She ran around the side of Pop’s, burying her face in her hands. She cried and cried for what seemed like hours. Her eyes burned and her throat ached for water. She laid down on the cold, hard cement, gazing at parking lot in front of her.

It was cold, so cold. She wished Jason were there.

Cheryl opened her phone.

No messages.

She was on low battery too. Only 8 percent.  
It was 1.58am. Way too late. Way past her usual bedtime.

And then she saw the date.

_March 31 st. _

It had been exactly 7 months since that fateful Halloween night.

The night her brother had been in a fatal car accident.

He was driving…

And just slipped off of the road.

Just like that, her brother was gone to her for good. All of his thoughts, his feelings and his goals disappeared into nothing and the person she once loved with all her heart suddenly abandoned her. The monster really returned that night. Out of anger, out of misery. She’d hit Cheryl hard; caused her a black eye for weeks. She had to work hard to cover it up everyday.

She missed her brother. She missed him with all of her heart.

Life would never be the same without him.

She opened her eyes, staring out into the abyss.

A slimmer of red caught her vision, a sticky substance on the ground a metre in front of her. Beside it was a thin stick of sorts, with a pink and white striped paper covering it. She’d heard rumours of it. People fought over it. Maybe that’s why blood had been spilled there on this night.

She picked it up.

What she held in her hand was probably hundreds of dollars worth of jingle jangle. The Southside Serpents usually distributed it, selling it to rich upper class folk in the north of Riverdale. The Serpents were filthy, but they did what they had to survive.

That’s when an idea struck Cheryl’s mind.

An idea maybe too daring, too dark to work.

But it was the only thing she could think of.

That night, she fantasised about it, pondered over it for hours and hours. It was a sickening, dreadful action and she loved it. As she fell asleep that night, she grinned, dreaming only of the sight of her newest innovation.

In her hand, she grasped the jingle jangle as tight as she could.

Tomorrow, the real work would begin.

 


End file.
